


Christmas Lies

by Zeplerfer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 06:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17157212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/pseuds/Zeplerfer
Summary: America and England take their daughter to visit Santa, only for her to discover that her parents have been lying to her about the jolly old man.Christmas omake for 'Apparent Lies.'





	Christmas Lies

The line for Santa was over an hour long, but that didn’t stop America from grinning happily as he waited with a little girl perched on his shoulders.

“Look, Rosie, there he is!” America cried, sounding nearly as excited as the children nearby. Following America’s pointed finger, the little girl gazed in wonder at the beautiful Christmas village in the center of the shopping mall. Wooden, elf-sized houses sparkled with twinkling lights and fake snow. Two lines of candy canes marked the lane for the waiting parents and children. And at the center of it all was a jolly old man in a red suit. He laughed as he posed for a picture with a happy pair of twins. Soon, they hopped off his lap and the line inched slightly closer.

Even England, who normally bemoaned the commercialization of Christmas, wore a fond smile. He glanced up at the awestruck little girl. “Have you decided what you’ll ask Santa to bring you for Christmas?”

The Dominion of British West Florida nodded. Her blond pigtails bobbed as she moved her head.

“Ooh, what are you going to ask for?” America wanted to know.

“It’s a supwise,” the little girl replied in her soft English accent.

“Aww,” America’s smile softened. He caught England’s gaze, then reached for England’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “Better be careful, Rosie,” he warned playfully, “if you get any cuter, your father is going to melt into a puddle of happiness.”

“Me?” England asked in mock-indignation. “I’d be more worried about you.” He leaned closer so no one could overhear his next remark, “Sometimes I think you created a little micronation just so we had an excuse to go trick-or-treating and take her to visit Santa.”

America laughed. “Nah, that didn’t occur to me until afterward.”

“Is Santa like us?” Rosemary asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“What do you mean?” England asked.

“Does he represent a country?”

“The North Pole isn’t exactly a country…” England began to reply.

“You’re so smart, Rosie!” America gushed. “Yes, Santa is the personification of the North Pole. But he gets lonely because no one else lives up there, so that’s why he likes to give presents to children.”

England shot America a warning glance.

“Wow.” Rosemary smiled, like a great question had been answered.

They stood in line a while longer, listening to the upbeat Christmas carols that played over the mall speakers as a crowd of last-minute shoppers hurried from store to store.

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Rosemary declared.

“You’re not Hungary. She’s a brunette!” America teased.

Rosemary gave the dad joke the look of scorn it deserved, while England left the line to find them some snacks. “Like father, like daughter,” he muttered under his breath.

By the time England returned with a few adorable mince pies, America and the little girl had nearly reached the end of the line. Rosemary watched the children in front of her sit on Santa’s lap and whisper into his ear. Santa laughed heartily and his eyes twinkled with delight.

When it was Rosemary’s turn, America sat her on Santa’s knee. As she stared at the bearded stranger, Rosemary’s smile turned into a puzzled frown.

“Everything okay, sweetie?” America asked in concern.

“He's not real,” Rosemary replied in an accusatory tone.

“I assure you, I am very real!” Santa replied with a hearty laugh as he patted his ample midsection.

Rosemary glared. “You’re just a regular human.”

“Well, not a _regular_ human,” Santa replied, carefully hiding his annoyance as he glanced up at an embarrassed America and worried England.

“You _lied_ to me!” Rosemary wailed as she burst into tears. Instead of letting America pick her up, she ran behind Santa’s chair, past a surprised elf. America raced in pursuit, but he didn’t manage to catch her before she dodged between the tiny elf houses. He cursed loudly and dashed around the display to try to catch her on the other side. England hopped over the candy cane fence, but by the time they reached the back, she was gone.

“Rosie!” America shouted amidst the crowd of shoppers. "Rosemary!"

“Did anyone see a little girl running by?” England demanded, but in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, no one had seen where the upset little girl had gone.

“You know, it’d be nice to go a month without losing her in public,” America complained as he searched high and low through the crowd of people.

“Well, you shouldn’t have lied to her about Santa,” England sniped back, before his practical side reasserted itself. “Find her first, then argue. We should go to lost and found. They can make an announcement over the speakers.”

“Yeah,” America nodded, before glancing at a directory. “Actually, let’s check the McDonald’s first.”

England grunted an acknowledgement. They raced to the American fast food place, but Rosemary was nowhere to be found.

They hurried on to the the Lost-and-Found kiosk. The security guard took one look at their worried faces and quickly issued an announcement over the loudspeakers asking anyone who had seen a young girl, about three years old, with blond pigtails and a red coat, to report that information to lost and found.

“I’ll call if anyone sees her,” the security guard explained, “You should keep looking. Most young children tend to hide in a place that’s safe and comforting.”

“Any ideas?” America asked England as they resumed their frantic search.

England took another look at the store directory and his eyes caught on a particular entry. “Yes. That one.”

Despite his worry, America smiled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

The Build-a-Bear Workshop teemed with delighted children and harried parents. America and England pushed their way through the crowd of people and had nearly given up the search when England spotted a small child hugging a teddy bear in a quiet, hidden corner. He moved closer and breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized Rosemary’s pigtails.

“Oh, poppet, you need to stay with us,” England said softly as he knelt down next to the little girl. “We were very worried about you.”

Rosemary looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and glared accusingly at America. “Santa isn’t real.”

“He’s not a nation, not like us,” England agreed. “He’s more of an idea. Parents around the world tell their children the story of Santa to share a taste of Christmas magic. But I assure you, the love is real.”

“And the presents are real,” America added, bending down next to England.

“They are?” Rosemary looked up with a hopeful expression. “I can still get the present I wanted?”

“Of course!” America promised.

“I want to spend more time with both of my daddies.”

“Absolutely,” America agreed.

“And I want a unicorn. A real, live unicorn.”

“Uh…” America looked worried again.

“Not a problem,” England replied with a smile.

“I thought we were going to stop lying to her?” America whispered in England’s ear.

England snorted. “Santa might not be real, but unicorns are.”

Sensing a losing battle, for once in his life, America wisely shut up.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! Some asked for a sequel to Apparent Lies, and that's probably not going to happen, but I hope you enjoy this Christmas oneshot instead :)


End file.
